Spinach: Delicious and Nutritious

Delicious and Nutritious

Spinach is packed with powerful nutrients, antioxidants, and minerals, making it one of the healthiest vegetables around. However it also has a vibrant green appearance, a pleasant mild flavor and is easy to prepare and add to virtually any dish. Its versatility is unparalleled which makes it an essential ingredient to keep on hand, both fresh and frozen.

It has very few calories, only 7 calories per cup of raw spinach. It's high in fiber, folate, potassium, magnesium, Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, calcium and much more. It contains at least 13 different antioxidants that fight cancer. Vitamin K helps promote bone health and magnesium helps to lower blood pressure and fight heart disease. The combination of ingredients in spinach can also help to relieve the symptoms of some inflammatory conditions, such as arthritis. Here are some tips and recipe suggestions so you can begin to incorporate this miracle food into your meals.

Fresh spinach takes only moments to prepare but it cooks down considerably. A whole bag of fresh spinach can cook down into 1-2 servings, so make sure you have enough for the amount of people you need to feed. If you're adding it to other dishes make sure you do so when it's just about finished, because you don't want to overcook spinach. While serving it raw is the optimal way to receive all of its benefits, gentle heat will cook it down into a dense, concentrated powerhouse of fiber and vitamins.

Serving spinach fresh doesn't have to be boring. Mix it together with other leafy greens, such as romaine, arugula, red leaf lettuce, or your favorite bagged mix for a salad base. A great way to "trick" your picky eaters into eating spinach is to puree it into a pesto. Puree spinach, some basil or another fresh herb, a clove or two of garlic, juice and zest of one lemon or orange, a tablespoon of almonds or pine nuts, ¼ cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano, and 2 tablespoons EV olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. You can use this as a pasta sauce, stir it into other sauces such as marinara, stir into rice or soups, use as a flavoring for steamed vegetables, stir into your favorite light vinaigrette, or stir into lowfat yogurt for a quick and flavorful dip for crisp strips of vegetables.

One of the quickest and tastiest ways to cook spinach is in a simple sauté. You will need at least one bag or 4-8 cups of spinach as it cooks down quite a bit. Sauté 4 cloves of minced garlic and ½ of a diced sweet red onion until softened and light brown. Add some spinach and stir, squeezing some lemon juice over top. Keep adding the spinach until it's all in, and as soon as it's cooked down remove from heat. Add a small amount of salt and pepper to taste. From this point you can do several things. For an Asian twist flavor with a tablespoon or two of soy sauce and seasoned rice vinegar. For a more Mediterranean flavor add a splash of balsamic vinegar and a light zesting of Romano. Add chopped almonds and a few shavings of Gruyere for a light French side.

You can also stir fresh spinach into soups, pastas, rice dishes, casseroles, and even use it as a base for pasta sauces. For example, sauté garlic, onions, and chopped tomatoes. Let simmer and add a big splash of white wine. Let this cook down and stir in a couple tablespoons of spinach pest. Stir in fresh shrimp and/or scallops. After they turn pink and translucent serve sauce on a bed of baby spinach. Top with chopped Italian parsley and a dusting of Parmiggiano-Regiano

Don't forget frozen spinach either, which still has all of the vitamins and minerals of fresh yet is convenient to have on hand. You must defrost and drain it though, as it contains a lot of water. Frozen spinach is perfect for dips, quiches, frittatas, casseroles, and much more.

Although Popeye had the right idea about spinach as a potential powerhouse fuel for the human body, canned spinach is definitely old-school. For freshness, taste, variety and health, fresh or frozen spinach can't be beat. Give your body one of the best cancer and disease fighting wonder foods and include spinach in your everyday life.